In 2018, the Port of Houston handled more than 182 billion tons of cargo.
Top navigation skipped
Port of Houston: All Trade
Port of Entry
Port of Houston
Ports of entry within the state of Texas accounted for nearly $740 billion in international trade in 2018. Texas has 29 official ports of entry that serve as critical gateways to global trade. Each port, whether an airport, land port or seaport, serves many domestic and international economic activities across multiple industries. Each Texas port plays a distinctive role in the state’s transportation network and contributes to the state and local economies.
Glenn Hegar
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
The Port of Houston’s contributions to the Texas economy include:
Total trade (2018) $159.8 Billion
Direct and indirect employment 712,600
gross domestic product $107.6 Billion
Sources: REMI, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
About the Port of Houston
The Port of Houston is one of 10 seaports along Texas’ 367-mile Gulf of Mexico coastline. It is part of the Houston-Galveston Customs District, which includes the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, the Sugar Land Regional Airport, the Port of Texas City, the Port of Galveston, the Port of Freeport, the Port of Port Lavaca and the Port of Corpus Christi. The Texas Legislature created the Port of Houston Authority in 1927 to oversee and manage the Port of Houston and the Houston Ship Channel, which is the deep-water ship channel connecting the port to the Gulf of Mexico.
The Houston Ship Channel was officially opened in 1914, and today it is one of the busiest U.S. waterways.
Port of Houston: All Trade
2003 to 2018
| Year | Total Trade through Houston (in billions) | Percentage of Total Trade through Seaports |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 49.9 billion dollars | 55.4% |
| 2004 | 66.1 billion dollars | 55.7% |
| 2005 | 86.2 billion dollars | 57.0% |
| 2006 | 103.0 billion dollars | 57.9% |
| 2007 | 114.9 billion dollars | 58.0% |
| 2008 | 147.8 billion dollars | 56.4% |
| 2009 | 106.2 billion dollars | 59.9% |
| 2010 | 131.0 billion dollars | 58.0% |
| 2011 | 169.1 billion dollars | 58.8% |
| 2012 | 176.6 billion dollars | 59.7% |
| 2013 | 168.5 billion dollars | 60.1% |
| 2014 | 167.2 billion dollars | 61.1% |
| 2015 | 136.6 billion dollars | 67.0% |
| 2016 | 112.7 billion dollars | 67.4% |
| 2017 | 131.8 billion dollars | 63.2% |
| 2018 | 159.8 billion dollars | 61.3% |
Shipping activity through this port accounted for $159.8 billion in trade in 2018, 8 percent more than in 2003 ($49.9 billion).
This seaport’s trade, as a percentage of the total through all 10 Texas seaports, has fluctuated from as low as 55.4 percent in 2003 to as high as 67.4 percent in 2016.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: USA Trade Online
Port of Houston: Total Trade with Mexico, China and Brazil, 2014 to 2018
Imports Exports
| Year | Trade | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $41.1 | $21.1 | $20.1 |
| 2017 | $36.0 | $18.5 | $17.5 |
| 2016 | $28.6 | $14.7 | $13.9 |
| 2015 | $32.9 | $16.5 | $16.4 |
| 2014 | $42.1 | $19.4 | $22.7 |
Mexico, China and Brazil together accounted for about 26 percent of the total trade through this port in 2018, which has remained steady since 2014.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: USA Trade Online
| Port of Houston | |||
| Top Imports: | Petroleum Products, Machinery | ||
| Top Exports: | Petroleum Products, Chemicals | ||
| Top Trading Partners: | Mexico, China, Brazil | ||
The Port of Houston is one of 29 official Texas Ports of Entry. See a select list of ports, plus more in-depth regional data.
Questions?
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the material on this page, please contact the Comptroller’s Data Analysis and Transparency Division.